Edinburgh Institute for the Study of the Arab World and Islam

(EISAWI)

The establishment of the Edinburgh Institute for the Advanced Study of Islam and the Middle East in October 1997 (now known as the Edinburgh Institute for the Study of the Arab World and Islam), under the directorship of Professor M Y Suleiman, as a cross-faculty center for the promotion of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the University, bringing together the network of scholars researching various aspects of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies in other departments inside and outside the Faculty of Arts. The Institute also promotes the field in Scotland and beyond and its establishment marks the commitment of the University to this field of scholarly activity and highlights the strong desire in Scotland at large to establish firm links with the Middle East and the broader Muslim world.

Aims of the Institute

The Edinburgh Institute for the Advanced Study of Islam and the Middle East (EIASIME) is a cross-faculty research centre whose aim is to consolidate and promote the University's strength in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies on an interdisciplinary basis. As part of its development, the Institute will seek to establish links with sister centres and institutes inside and outside the University for the purpose of sponsoring joint activities and developments in the field of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.

In particular, the aims of the Institute are:

· Provide a strong focus for inter-disciplinary advanced research on Islam and the Middle East (including North Africa) covering, among other things, Arabic language and literature, Persian language and literature, Turkish studies, translation studies, Islamic history, Modern Middle Eastern history, theology, Islamic law, Arab law, social anthropology, development studies, social psychology, the politics, economics and international relations of the Middle East and Central Asia, Islamic art and architecture, Islam in the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia, Islam in Europe, Christian-Muslim relations, gender studies, and artificial intelligence in relation to Arabic

· Promote academic developments in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies in the University with the aim of recruiting highly qualified students for postgraduate study and research

· Encourage and maintain collaboration with related institutes and centres at Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland and beyond, with a view to acting as a national resource in the Scottish and UK context for consultation by government bodies, public organisations, industry, business and the media

· Develop international links with other institutes and centres in pursuit of collaborative research projects, recruiting students, facilitating academic exchanges and achieving enhanced levels of library resources

· Represent the University on the relevant national bodies and committees

Activities of the Institute

In pursuance of the above objectives the activities of the Institute will include:

· Organising conferences on inter-disciplinary topics to bring together leading specialists, postgraduate students and members of the public in collaboration with other institutes and centres inside and outside the University

· Pursuing funding for inter-disciplinary projects

· Launching an annual series of thematically organised seminars to which members of the Institute and leading specialists from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds will contribute

· Instituting an Annual Lecture to be delivered by individuals of high distinction drawn from within and outside the academic world

· Launching a publications series in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies to promote research by members of the Institute and others

· Developing new taught MSc programmes to attract students to Edinburgh and Scotland from wider national and cross-disciplinary backgrounds than hitherto is the case

· Instituting subject-specific postgraduate research training, using the expertise available in the University

· Establishing a data base of Islamic and Middle Eastern interests in Scotland to serve as a national resource for use locally, nationally and internationally

· Fostering links with the media, business sector and other organisations for the mutual benefit of the University and its partners

· Offering the Honorary Institute Fellowships to scholars wishing to spend a period of research leave at Edinburgh in collaboration with other centres wherever necessary

· Seeking funding for scholars to spend periods of attachment at the Institute

· Publishing an annual report detailing the activities of the Institute for distribution to interested individuals and centres within and outside the University